Commentary: Michael Vick, dog fighting and the ASPCA

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by Timothy Frazier

The court imposed gag order is gone, and now we can see what has happened in the lives of the dogs that were so cruelly mistreated by Michael Vick and his dog fighting partners. One organization in particular, BadRap (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls) sprang into action immediately after news first broke on the Virginia fighting dog compound owned by former NFL quarterback Michael Vick.

In a highly secret undertaking, the folks at Badrap worked with other dog rescue groups and managed to insert themselves into the situation by convincing prosecutors and judges in the case to grant them access to the dogs for evaluation. That gave them the opportunity to work toward rehabilitation and finding them new homes.

Due to the efforts of Badrap and their partner organizations, 48 of the 49 dogs have been rescued and many are already en route to new homes, never to face-off in the fighting pits again.
Court imposed gag orders caused these groups to work under extraordinary restraints. They couldn't ask for donations to help in the effort or tell anyone not directly involved in the rescue efforts what they were doing, until now.

In the past, dogs found in these conditions have had little or no hope. Many local government animal agencies had policies which immediately condemned any dog used in fighting rings, especially "pit bull" breeds, to be euthanized. Under the assumption that dogs trained to be fighters were too difficult to rehabilitate, these animals are often put down without the benefit of an individual evaluation. Many argue that this practice avoids wasting training resources and kennel space on animals that create too much risk. Legal liability resulting from those perceived risks play a large role in many shelter's determination to euthanize as opposed to finding foster homes for these dogs.

Last September, Tim Racer and Donna Reynolds from BAD RAP traveled to Virginia to evaluate the "Vick dogs" along with Justin Phillips of the Monterey SPCA. They joined other evaluators from dog organizations across the United States. With video cameras, professional dog temperament testing score sheets, and an initial three days of grueling work, the group evaluated 49 animals and came to a conclusion that will shock some people: Out of 49 dogs kept on the compound for fighting or baiting purposes, 48 we deemed by professional dog evaluators to be good candidates for rehabilitation and eventual new homes. According to Tim Racer's recent interview with CNN, he would have no problem placing any of the 22 dogs determined to be in no need of rehabilitation in homes that included other dogs and even children. With stacks of video tape to back up the claim, the evaluators determined that all these dogs wanted to do was eat, play, and be petted.
For one of the forty-nine, results were not good. It was euthanized. Again, according to Tim Racer's interview on CNN, the dog had just "had enough" human mistreatment and the best decision was to put it down. Evidence from the crime scene can easily lead one to the conclusion that Vick and his partners would have allowed that dog to die fighting, or worse, electrocuted or beaten it to death.

At least eight organizations have volunteered to absorb the "Vick dogs" into their programs and help to rehabilitate them and locate new homes. The outcome of this tragedy may be a turning point for the American Pitt Bull Terrier. These animals have escaped death twice, once at the hands of the Vick dog fighting organization, and again by escaping the historical practice of assuming fighting dogs were too difficult to change resulting in a automatic euthanasia sentence.

BadRap and others have established themselves as ambassadors of the "bully breeds" and are trying to change America's view of the once favored Pit Bull that has received a "bad rap" in recent decades. They stress that dogs should be evaluated as individuals, not as whole groups, especially when lives are at stake.
It has been suggested that it is time to start referring to the "Vick dogs" as "America's Dogs", since it was the American public and organizations like BadRap all across this country that came to claim them and provide a second chance.